Community Concerts of Lake City presents: The First Coast Wind Symphony Performs March 1
The First Coast Wind Symphony Performs March 1
The First Coast Wind Symphony, the premier community music organization in Jacksonville, FL, will perform as part of the Lake City Community Concert Series on Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 pm in the Levy Performing Arts Center at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, FL. Open seating tickets are available at the door for cash or check: $12/student K-12, $29/adult, or $65/family. Tickets are also available online at communityconcerts.info. For more information, call Martha at 386 365-8488.
The program, titled “Dances in Bright Light,” will include the most popular works of Texan Carol Brittin Chambers, an important female voice among current successful concert composers. Dance selections include Jeff Tyzik’s “Three Latin Dances” and Robert Buckley’s “Jitterbug” swing music will be danced by an experienced and energetic jazz couple.
The concert will feature guest saxophonist Margaret Banton who will perform film composer John Williams’ “Catch Me If You Can,” a medley of music from the movie soundtrack. Ms. Banton has performed as a military musician and served as a clinician for several decades. She performed as a saxophonist and vocalist in Georgia with the Army Ground Forces Band and the Air National Guard, where she retired in 2013. She is equally versatile in classical, jazz, rock and rhythm and blues genres. The program also includes music by well-known composers Erich Korngold, Brian Balmages and Robert Sheldon.
The First Coast Wind Symphony is a 60-member group led by Music Director Artie Clifton and Conductor Paul Weikle. The ensemble provides a cultural service by offering concerts of quality wind music throughout the greater Jacksonville area. The complete season schedule is at https://fcwinds.org/schedule.html
The First Coast Wind Symphony received two national music awards in 2024. The organization received the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Silver Scroll Award given annually to the most outstanding community band in the nation. The FCWS also received an award from the American Prize in Performance, Celebrating American Excellence in the Arts. The American Prize is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the classical arts.
The First Coast Wind Symphony continues its Music Destinations Project with a tour to Central Europe in June 2025. The group will perform with local bands in Prague and Budapest, including the Kolin Music Festival in Prague, and will visit cultural and historical sites in the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The First Coast Wind Symphony has released three albums to wide acclaim, Prevailing Winds, A Christmas Celebration and Symphonic Spirit, and a DVD titled Sounds of the First Coast. More information about the group is available at www.fcwinds.org.
